At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2016, virtual reality was introduced as one of the most promising future technologies. The development of technologies such as virtual reality (VR) or augmented reality (AR) have increased the demand for devices and methods that enhance user experience (UX). For example, there is interest in methods that enhance user's immersion in the contents by stimulating multiple human senses. VR and AR are normally confined mainly to visual and auditory senses. However, efforts are under way to include various human senses such as olfactory and tactile sense.
Thermoelectric elements (TEs) are electrical devices that generate or absorb heat using the Peltier effect. TEs may be used to provide a thermal feedback to a user. However, the incorporation of the thermoelectric elements in VR or AR applications has been limited because it is difficult to fabricate conventional thermoelectric elements using flat substrates. Thus, it is challenging to have TEs that make tight contact with a body part of a user.
In recent years, however, the Assignee of the present Application has successfully developed flexible thermoelectric elements (FTEs), e.g., as disclosed in Korean Application Serial No. 10-2015-0154087 filed on Nov. 3, 2015. It is expected that the thermal feedback can be effectively delivered to users by overcoming the problems of the conventional thermoelectric elements.